[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1443 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1443

Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Trails System Act and 
                the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 2008

 Mr. DeFazio (for himself, Mr. Filner, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. 
   Reichert, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Inslee, Mr. Wu, and Mr. 
 McDermott) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the National Trails System Act and 
                the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

Whereas 40 years ago, Congress established the National Trails System and 
        President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Trails System Act on 
        October 2, 1968, providing necessary authorities to study, administer, 
        and manage trails in the National Trails System, fostering citizen 
        volunteerism to sustain the trails, and authorizing the Appalachian and 
        Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails as the first two components of the 
        system;
Whereas the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail stretches from Mexico 
        to Canada connecting 3 States, 3 national monuments, 7 national parks, 
        25 national forests, and 33 congressionally designated wildernesses;
Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail reveals the beauty of the 
        desert, unfolds the glaciated expanses of the Sierra Nevada, and 
        provides commanding vistas of volcanic peaks and glaciers in the Cascade 
        Range, ascending more than 57 major mountain passes and skirting the 
        shores of countless lakes, tarns, ponds, creeks, and rivers;
Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail has the greatest elevation 
        changes of any of America's National Scenic Trails, passing through 6 
        out of 7 of North America's ecozones, including high and low desert, 
        old-growth forest, and arctic-alpine country;
Whereas the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail traverses along the crests of 
        major mountain ranges including the San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Sierra 
        Nevada, and Cascade mountain ranges;
Whereas the National Trails System now totals over 60,000 miles in all 50 
        States, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, and is comprised of 8 National 
        Scenic Trails and 18 National Historic Trails authorized by Congress, 
        more than 1,000 National Recreation Trails and several connecting and 
        side trails designated by the Secretary of the Interior or Agriculture, 
        and thousands of miles of ``railbanked'' rail trails;
Whereas the National Trails System embodies many strands of America's natural, 
        historic, and cultural heritage, provides countless opportunities for 
        healthful recreation through the great diversity of landscapes and 
        ecosystems that comprise this great American land, and commemorates the 
        rich tapestry of cultures and peoples that comprise our Nation;
Whereas congressionally authorized National Scenic and Historic Trails are 
        complex partnerships involving various Federal agencies, primarily the 
        National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, 
        U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that 
        administer and manage these trails, while the Federal Highway 
        Administration has been an important source of funding for them, the 
        States and tribal governments, and dozens of dedicated nonprofit trail 
        organizations;
Whereas the National Trails System is sustained through citizen-based 
        stewardship with volunteers usually taking the lead in nearly all 
        aspects of trail resources including inventory, database construction, 
        planning, development, interpretation, preservation, and maintenance of 
        the trails;
Whereas between 1995 and 2007, volunteers organized and guided by the nonprofit 
        partner trail organizations contributed more than 7,661,000 hours valued 
        at $119,370,000 to help develop and sustain the National Scenic and 
        Historic Trails and the natural and cultural resources along them, 
        leveraging many times over the Federal funding provided for these trails 
        by Congress; and
Whereas the many trails in the National Trails System provide local identity, 
        connections to history and heritage, healthy recreation, and economic 
        benefit for thousands of communities throughout the Nation: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms support for the National Trails System and 
        intends to provide funding and necessary authorities to 
        complete the designated National Scenic and Historic Trails;
            (2) honors the contributions of the thousands of dedicated 
        volunteers, nonprofit organizations, cooperating landowners, 
        and Federal agency staff who work to develop, protect, 
        interpret, and sustain the trails; and
            (3) recognizes the essential collaboration among Federal 
        agencies and private organizations so necessary to consistently 
        administer and manage the long-distance National Scenic and 
        Historic Trails and encourages the agencies to continue to 
        foster more effective public, private, and interagency 
        collaboration.
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